Ignorance is Bliss
by BurnThoseEyesBlue
Summary: When Donny somehow manages to build a portal to bring Bliss to his world, it's a learning curve for everybody involved. *SEQUEL TO HAPPINESS IS BLISS SAINW AU*
1. Chapter 1

**Wow! I can't believe I'm finally gotten back into this AU; it is probably my favorite one that I've written... I love it _that_ much. I've recently been on a TMNT kick, so this is the byproduct of my spare time + old fandoms. **

**To those of you that are new to the AU, you might want to go check out the first story in the series - Happiness is Bliss. But a quick summary is that when Donny disappeared in the SAINW world, he left behind a daughter (Bliss) that Raph ended up raising. This is what happens after the episode officially ends.**

 **I'm also very rusty at TMNT writing, so if anyone would love to help a girl out with Beta-ing characterizations, I'd love to talk to you more!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Bliss's POV -

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I tumbled through the crack, landing on my knees and still gripping Donny's hand. I turned around, glimpsing April's teary face, hand raise in a wave. I raised my hand still holding her picture frame back at her, the other still clutching Donny's. The electric blue of the portal crackled once, twice, and vanished with a few sparks. It was the last I'd ever see of my home world.

I felt Donny squeeze my hand and turned back around with wide eyes. He whooped and beamed at me, excitement etched into every line on his face.

"It worked!" he said, standing up and pulling me with him. A wave of dizziness and nausea washed over me, and I stumbled. Donny steadied me until it passed.

I groaned, straightening up and wiping the back of my mouth. Obviously this meant I wasn't meant for inter-dimensional world travel. "Wait a minute, so you mean I'm in-"

"My world? That's right!" Donny said, beaming at me. "Sorry it took me so long, it took me a couple of weeks to find all the parts I needed to build the portal. There's only so much you can find in the dumpster. I had to ask April to special order some parts for me."

I frowned, some part of that not sitting quite right with me. "Wait, it's only been a couple of weeks for you? It's been a year for me!"

"A year?" Donny said, mouth open. I nodded, eye ridges raised. "That's fantastic! That means the time in your world goes by quicker than here! Also, since you're thirty some odd years in the future, I wonder what-" he stopped talking when he saw the look on my face. "But that's not important right now. How have you been? I know we never really got to talk, especially after..."

I knew what he was going to say: after the death of my uncles and his sudden vanishing immediately after. I looked at my feet, scuffing my toe into the ground. "I miss Uncle Raph," I admitted. "April's been doing all she can, but it's not really the same."

Donny nodded, sympathy in his eyes. "I have good news, then," he said, the excited look coming back in his eyes. "Come on!" He started heading towards the door, and I clutched the picture frame to my chest and followed. He opened the door and walked out, and I hesitated, standing in the doorframe.

I blinked, taking in their home. "I've never been in the sewers before," I said, and he turned to look at me. "I have to say this isn't quite what I was expecting."

"Not bad, huh?" Donny said, turning back around. High ceilings, couches, a monster of a TV parked in the corner. I eyed it with envy, never having seen a TV bigger than a textbook. "Hey guys?" he called out.

Someone lurched up from one of the couches, grinning. "He lives!" they said dramatically, throwing an arm over their forehead, and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Mikey," Donny said, sounding fondly exasperated. "Where are the others?"

That was _Mikey_? I thought, eyes wide. I mean, I'd heard Raph's stories growing up, but actually meeting him - er, my Michelangelo, at least - made me really uncomfortable, and I can't say he was my favorite uncle over there. I hid behind the door frame a little bit more.

"Leo's off in the dojo, Raph's working on his bike." Mikey bounced up, tossing a comic book on the couch. "What's up?" And oh, now _there_ was the surfer accent I was told about.

"Can you go get them for me? I have a surprise." Donny turned and met my gaze, grinning.

"LEO! RAPH!" Mikey screeched, cupping his mouth. I grimaced. "DONNY NEEDS US!" He lowered his hands and grinned.

"Thanks," Donny said dryly, rubbing his ear gently.

"Always happy to help!" Mikey bounced on his heels, jumping over the couch and up close to Donny. "So what's this surprise? A tank? A jetpack? Oh, I've always wanted a jetpack. Donny, you shouldn't have!" He lunged up and engulfed Donny in a hug, and over Donny's shoulder met my gaze. I looked away and immediately scooted out of sight, mentally cursing.

"Mikey," Donny laughed, pushing him away. I felt a sharp stab of envy at hearing their sibling dynamic.

"Who's that?!" I heard Mikey say, and I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead back against the wall. "You have a girl in there!"

"Just... wait, Mikey," Donny said pleadingly. "Wait until Leo and Raph get here!"

"But-!" I could hear signs of a tussle and wondered just what exactly was going on.

"Wait until Leo gets here for what?" I heard someone else say, a voice I vaguely recognized as being Leonardo's. It was definitely him he just sounded a lot less tense and sad than it was in my world.

"Yeah, I'm kinda busy, Brainiac," another voice snarked, and my heart lurched into my throat.

"Raphael," I whispered, feeling tears well up in my eyes. I pressed a hand to my mouth, feeling my heart pound wildly. I missed him so much. We never even got to really say goodbye. He raised me, and there was so much I wanted to be able to say to him, but then it hit me. This wasn't my Uncle Raph. This Raphael wouldn't know me, wouldn't remember anything about my life. My shoulders drooped, and I knew all this, but shell, it was really good to hear his voice again.

I guess I tuned out for a bit, because when I shook my head to clear it and listen in on Donny again, they were arguing.

"No, we need to wait on Master Splinter!"

"You didn't tell me to call for Master Splinter! MASTER SPLINT-"

"Enough, Mikey, Leo already went to go grab him!"

"Sheesh, Raph, let go of me! Come on, Donny, I already saw her! Can't you just introduce her to us already?"

"Wait, you have a girl back there? Damn, Don, I didn't know you had it n ya!"

"Ew, gross, Raph, it's not like that! She-"

"Donatello? What is so urgent that you needed to get my attention during my stories?" Another voice joined the fray, one I didn't recognize at all. I assumed it was Master Splinter, and felt a strange thrill run through my stomach. I'd heard so many stories about all of these people - my family - and what they were really like in the glory days with Uncle Raph. This was going to be so weird.

"Sorry, Sensei, but I knew you definitely wouldn't want to miss this," Donny said. "Bliss? You can come out now."

I stuck my head around the corner, peeking out at the others, and wow, they were all so young. Michelangelo had both arms, Raph both eyes, and Leonardo no glasses? I guess I never really thought about what they'd look like, young and happy in their prime, before my Donatello ran away and messed it all up. Man, this was way out of my pay grade. I took them in, and they watched me as I stepped out and slightly behind Donny.

"Ha! I told you he had a girl in there!" Mikey crowed, slinging an arm around the neck of the turtle standing closest to him. That turtle happened to be Raph, standing with his arms crossed and mouth open. A similar look of surprise was mirrored on Leonardo's face, and I finally turned my gaze to the last person standing there, Master Splinter. He was watching me, face impassive, tail flicking. I didn't know what that meant and looked hesitantly at Donny. Maybe my mask was crooked? I self-consciously straightened it. That was something Uncle Raph used to get on my case about, and I didn't realize how much I missed those reminders until I was standing there meeting everyone with a cock-eyed mask. Great. Such a good first impression.

"Guys," Donny said proudly, holding an arm out in front of me. "Meet Bliss. This is my daughter."

"Hi," I said shyly, waving with my one free hand. They took me in again, eyes growing even wider, before immediately turning to Donny with angry looks.

"Your WHAT?" Leonardo said, exchanging shocked looks with Michelangelo. "How is that even possible?"

"Dude," Michelangelo said. "I'm an uncle!" He bounced up and down until Raph gave him a shove away. Raph didn't say anything, staring at me with narrowed eyes.

"Ah," Master Splinter said, eyebrows relaxing in understanding. "Bliss, I have heard all about you. It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You have?" I said, tilting my head to the side. But that must mean they all...

"I haven't!" Raph spat, looking angrily at Donny. "What do you mean, you have a daughter?"

"She's from the hell-world I went to with that whole fiasco with the time scepter," Donny said soothingly, raising his hands placatingly. He turned to me and shrugged. "Er, no offense."

"None taken," I said, silently agreeing. It was kind of a hell-world.

"I told you guys that it was set in the future where the Shredder had taken over, where none of you were together anymore and I had run off and disappeared thirty years before, right?"

"Yes," Leonardo said slowly, the wheels obviously turning behind the mask, "but you failed to tell us you had a child in that time."

"Not me, other Donatello," Donny said. "But it's really not my story to tell. In fact, I don't even know all of it. We barely got to talk over there, because once we took down the Shredder and all of you..." he trailed off, and I flinched. Mikey scuffed his foot on the ground. Obviously Donny had told his brothers what had happened to them over there. Just not about me. Gee, way to make a girl feel special. "Well, I got brought home, and it left her. I built a portal and got her back." He shrugged.

"Wait, how did you build the portal?" I asked curiously. "How did you even find the right world again, there's gotta be billions of other universes out there!"

Donny's eyes lit up as he turned back to me. "Well, so I took a sample of some of the particles that came back with me, and from there I built a-"

Michelangelo groaned. "She's a nerd, too!" In a flash, Master Splinter up and whacked him with his cane, and he whined, rubbing his shin and hopping on one foot.

"I, on the other hand, would love to hear more about you, Bliss," Leonardo interrupted, giving a pointed look to Donny and then turning to Master Splinter. "Sensei, you knew about her?"

"Very little," Master Splinter said, looking at me. "Donatello came home from his, ah, trip and told me about the other universe, how he left you alone and had to get back to you." Raph shot Donny a glare when he said this. "I would be very interested in hearing more about you as well."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell us about her," Raph muttered, loud enough for Donny to hear. Donny flinched, and Leonardo elbowed Raph in the side, hissing something so quietly under his breath I couldn't hear him. Raph rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, grunting and elbowing Leo back.

"I didn't even know if the portal was going to be successful," Donny said. "I didn't want to let everyone down if it didn't work, or if you never got to meet her." Raph muttered something else, and Michelangelo ignored him, coming up to me and slinging an arm around my neck.

"Ignore Raph," he said, leading me over to the couch. The others followed. "He's always grouchy. I'm Mikey, your cool uncle. We're gonna be best friends! Do you like video games?"

"I know who you are," I said, still not used to this happy, not creepy version of Michelangelo. I tried to gently shrug off his arm, but he didn't seem to notice, and so it stayed. "I've only met you a handful of times. Same with you, Leonardo. And no, I can't say I've ever really played any video games." I sat down on the couch, jumping a little as Michelangelo let out a loud shriek right in my ear.

"No video games? Donny, that really is a nightmare world!" Donny rolled his eyes at Michelangelo's antics, and sat down on my other side. Master Splinter settled into a comfy looking armchair, with Raph and Leo standing behind him.

"Sorry, Bliss, but we've only met a handful of times?" Leonardo said, shaking his head a little. "I don't quite understand." Master Splinter looked at me attentively, ears pricked.

"I'm afraid I don't know the whole story," I said. "I never met my father. Uncle Raph raised me, and I only met you and Michelangelo once Donny came to our world."

Raph straightened up. " _I_ raised you?" he said in disbelief. I nodded, and he shook his head. "I can't deal with this right now," he spat, turning around and stomping off.

"But-" I said, reaching out a hand after him.

"Raph!" Leonardo called, turning and trying to grab his shoulder. Raph shook it off and stomped out, slamming the door to his room behind him. Master Splinter shook his head, ears twitching.

"Just give him some space," Donny said. "Let him clear his head. Sometimes he just gets like this, though I guess you'd know that as well as any of us." He grinned at me, but I couldn't really return it.

"I can't believe you let Raph raise your kid," Leonardo said, not angry but obviously in shock.

Donny raised his hands. "Again, not me. Other Donatello. And I'm telling you, that guy apparently had a few screws loose."

"Oh trust me, so do you," Michelangelo twirled his finger like he was crazy and stuck out his tongue at Donny. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

Leonardo shook his head. "Please, Bliss, continue." He took one look at Raph's closed door and looked back at me, eyes wide.

"So, my dad met a girl — my mom — another mutant turtle. Her name was Venus. I don't know anything about her, except that I probably have her eyes, and she never met you guys."

"You mean there's another female turtle out there?" Michelangelo beamed. "Dibs!"

"I wonder if she's in our world, too," Donny mumbled, a far-off look in his eyes.

"But... that must mean there could be a lot more of us out there!" Leonardo said, exchanging a hidden look with Master Splinter. I didn't know what it meant and decided to continue on.

"She and my dad used to meet up at the junkyard, and they ran away together when some bad guy named The Dragon Lord starting hunting her. They didn't want to involve you guys, so they ran away. He disappeared for fifteen years." Master Splinter pursed his lips, and even Michelangelo stayed quiet now to listen.

"For years they were on the run, until they finally defeated The Dragon Lord. They got married and then had me, and once they thought it was safe, started to go back to New York to finally meet you guys." I shifted in my chair, looking down at the picture frame still clutched in my lap. Leo eyed it curiously, but didn't ask any questions. "They didn't know The Shredder had taken over. Work camps, curfews. He didn't even know they'd taken you guys down, but The Shredder found them and stopped them. He killed my mom, and my dad took me and ran."

"How old were you?" Leonardo asked, forehead furrowed.

"One, maybe? A baby. Too young to remember." I shook my head. "I miss her, I guess, but I didn't know her. But my dad, he took me to Uncle Raph and pretty much just dropped me on his doorstep, saying he wanted to go back up against The Shredder for my mom." I shrugged. "He never came back for me. I guess he lost the fight. So Uncle Raph raised me, taught me how to fight with his sai and a Bo staff. The first time I'd ever really been outside our home was for my birthday, and that just happened to be the day we saw Donny for the first time. A couple of days later he organized a meeting, and the rest is pretty much history."

"She fell on me," Donny said proudly. I giggled, remembering.

"I didn't realize your world was that bad," Leonardo said, shaking his head. "And I absolutely still can't believe Raph raised you." He laughed, but it was a hollow sound.

"He did the best he could," I said, trying to defend him. "He was only missing an eye. You were newly blind, and Michelangelo only had one arm."

"Not cool," Michelangelo said, shuddering and holding up both of his hands and looking them over, top to bottom.

"But we defeated the Shredder. None of you made it," I flinched, trying to get the image of fallen Raph out of my mind, "but April did, and she kinda took care of me once Donny left."

"April's in your world?" Michelangelo said. "Is she still kick-ass? I bet she's super old." Master Splinter cleared his throat in a warning. Michelangelo hastily changed the subject.

"April's my friend. But I didn't meet her until I met the rest of you. She's super kick-ass! She totally took down Karai." Leonardo blinked at that. "And now she's helping to rebuild New York."

"Awesome!" Michelangelo said, looking proud. "What about Casey?"

I shook my head. "I never knew Casey. I think The Shredder killed him before I was born. Or you, Master Splinter." I saw one of his ears twitch, and he looked thoughtful for a moment. Michelangelo's shoulders slumped.

"I don't even know what to say," Leonardo said. "This is a lot to take in." He studied me for a moment.

"Tell me about it," Donny said, and Leonardo raised an eye ridge. "You're not the one who found out he has a kid."

"Did just find out we were uncles though," Michelangelo said, making a face at him. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Mmmm," Donny pulled a face. "Not the same thing."

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

"Bliss," Master Splinter said, ignoring their arguing. I leaned forward, trying to hear. "I am very glad you are here with us now. You are family. You are welcome to stay with us as long as you like."

I felt my eyes fill up with tears. "Thank you," I said, a little choked up. "I grew up hearing all about you guys. I can't believe I'm finally meeting you." He smiled at me, and I smiled a watery one back.

"I would love to talk to you more later," Master Splinter said, "but I know you must be very overwhelmed right now."

I glanced over at Michelangelo yelling at Donny over my head. "A little," I admitted.

"I can help you set up a room, if you want," Leonardo offered. "We have a spare."

I nodded, and he motioned for me to follow. I stood up, and so did Master Splinter.

"If you need me I will be finishing my stories," he told me and Leonardo, bowing his head and walking away.

"I can't believe that was Master Splinter," I said, shaking my head as Leonardo and I walked out of the living room.

"I can't believe you didn't know him. Or any of us." Leonardo said, casting me a side look.

"You and Uncle Raph... didn't really like each other in my world," I said carefully. Leonardo blinked, looking a little stung. "I don't know why though, you've been super nice to me so far. You're very different than my Leonardo."

"What was your Leonardo like?" he asked curiously, leading me to a storage closet and grabbing some sheets. He also grabbed a stack of towels and a pillow and dumped them in my arms, using his foot to shut the door behind him. I balanced the frame on top.

I guess he saw me grimace when he asked, so he wrinkled his beak. I opened my mouth to respond, but instead a big yawn came out. Funny, I hadn't even realized I was tired until that conversation was over. Adrenaline pumping, I guess. He blinked, turning me around and leading me to a line of subway cars.

"You know what? We can talk about it later," he said, and I nodded in agreement.

"Will Unc- I mean, Raph be okay?" I asked, almost tripping up.

Leonardo was nice enough not to point it out. "Donny's right, he just needs some time." He didn't look super happy, like he agreed with that statement much, but I didn't argue with him. He led me to a car at the end of the line. "This one's yours."

I stepped up and opened the door. There was a little bed shoved in there, and a bunch of storage boxes. It was tiny and cramped, and I loved it. It reminded me of my room at the resistance headquarters.

"We can clean those out later," he said, looking a little embarrassed. He rubbed the back of his head. "This used to be a storage closet, but we turned it into a guest room for when April needed to crash here."

"I love it," I said truthfully. "Thanks, Leonardo."

"Please, you can call me Leo," he said, smiling at me. It faded away only a moment after. "But only if you feel comfortable doing that. I don't know how you knew me over there." His cheeks flushed. "I really don't know the protocol for this," he admitted. "It's not everyday you meet some alternate dimension niece you didn't even know you could have."

"Leo's good," I said, a little amused, but totally getting how it felt to be walking on eggshells. "We're like the same age. I don't want to call you Uncle."

"How old are you?" he asked.

"I just turned sixteen."

He laughed. "You're younger than us, then. It's like you're more of a kid sister then, than anything else." His shoulders relaxed, and I could tell that was how he was going to choose to process everything in his head. "I'll leave you to it, then. If you need something, just come find one of us." I grinned at him, and he turned and walked back off towards the den.

I stepped inside my room and turned on the lights. I dumped the towels and sheets on the corner of the bed and grabbed the picture frame, setting it up on the bedside table. The turtles in the picture looked like the ones outside. I wonder if they have a copy of this picture, too? I could ask Donny tomorrow. I flopped down on the bed, plastron down, and was out before I could even bother to reflect on what all had happened that day.

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 **Please, please, please review! I would love to know what you guys think! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the next installment!**

 **Enjoy!**

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Bliss's POV -

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"Hello?" I blinked, looking around. It was dark, empty, and cold, and I shivered. "Where am I?" My voice echoed the hall.

"Bliss," a familiar voice said, and I turned around, feeling my eyes grow wide. The familiar face of my guardian raised an eye ridge at me, hands shoved deep in his coat pockets.

"Uncle Raph!" I ran forward and hugged him around the middle. He put an arm around my shoulders, and I tucked my head in the curve of his plastron. "I've missed you so much."

The arm tightened around me. "Kid, I don't have much time," Uncle Raph said. I looked up at him, confused. His one eye was narrowed, but not at me. He was squinting in the shadows behind us. "You need to be aware. He's coming."

"Who?" I said, pulling away from him and stepping back. He grabbed my shoulders, pulling my face up close to his. "Who's coming?"

"The Shredder," he said. Spit landed on my cheek, and I grimaced. "The fight's not over yet."

"But... Donny killed him! It is over!" I said, trying and failing to break his grip. "It's over!"

Uncle Raph started laughing, and I froze in his grip, petrified, as his form began to bubble and grow.

"Did you think you could ever truly defeat me?" The Shredder boomed. He sneered in my face, pink tentacles squelching as they waved in my face. I started to squirm, frantically, trying to break the robot's grip. "You're weak, turtle. You will never escape me!"

Cackling, he flung me across the room, and I hit the wall, collapsing into a heap. I lifted my head, limbs sprawled everywhere, and saw the fallen forms of my uncles and April on the ground. Uncle Raph's lifeless eye stared right at me.

"No," I cried, trying to grab my Bo off my back, fumbling for air when I realized it wasn't there. The Shredder cackled again and started running for me, and I clenched my eyes shut and covered my head.

"NO!" I shot upright, chest heaving and wet tears blurring my vision. It took me a moment to realize it was only a dream. A shitty one, but a dream nonetheless. My heart pounded, and I was tangled up in a heap of clean towels and unmade sheets, which I frantically kicked off. I swung my legs over the side of the bed, putting my head between my knees and struggling to take a deep breath.

It took me another moment to calm down enough to remember just where I was — the lair, in Donny's world, where this Raphael hated me and there actually was a Shredder still at large. I shuddered at the thought of The Shredder's sneering alien face from my dream. I looked at the clock at the wall: 9:21PM. Holy shell, I'd been asleep almost 24 hours!

I took another deep breath to try and calm myself more, firmly pushing all thoughts of the dream from my mind. I was safe. I was okay. It was all okay. I stood up, feeling the stiffness in my muscles, and when I stretched, felt something in my back pop. I headed out the door, pausing when I stepped outside.

I heard a scattering of voices coming from the left and headed that way. I approached a small room that I heard Michelangelo screaming in and stuck my head inside.

Everyone but Donny was seated inside, eating breakfast, Michelangelo waving his hands wildly and spilling milk on the table. _I guess this must be the kitchen_ , I thought. I turned to leave and not bother them, but Michelangelo must've seen me.

"Bliss!" he said. At least, I think that's what he said. He had a mouthful of cereal falling out of his mouth. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast!"

Raphael's shoulders tensed, and his knuckles turned white gripping his spoon. Leonar- Leo looked up from his bowl and smiled at me, and Master Splinter did the same with his tea.

"No," I lied, "not really." My stomach betrayed me, however, and growled as if on cue. My cheeks flushed.

"You should eat something," Leo said, sounding almost scolding.

"Come, sit down," Master Splinter said, and I trudged over, sitting in the empty seat next to Raph. He didn't look at me, but he scooted over and gave me some room.

"We have cereal, pancakes, and ooh, we got pizza!" Michelangelo turned his head to grin at me, arms deep in the fridge. "Whatcha want?"

I wrinkled my beak. "I've never had pizza before," I said. Michelangelo gasped, sounding wounded. Even Raph gave me a startled look.

"What do you mean, you've never had pizza before? It's a staple of turtle cuisine!" Michelangelo said, yanking out the box and setting it in front of me. He settled back down in his chair, tucking his chin on his knee and watching me with wide eyes.

"I mean, I've heard of it before," I tried to amend. "Uncle Ra- I mean, I heard stories growing up, but they didn't really sell it anymore."

"Why not?" Leo asked. Raph pointedly didn't look at me.

I shrugged. "In Shredder's work camps, people had a set diet. Nothing special. You couldn't even find chocolate unless you were looking at the black market." Everyone grew quiet, so I lowered my eyes and picked up a slice. Uncle Raph used to say pizza was one of the biggest things he missed from before. He even tried to make it once, but he said it wasn't the same.

I bit into it, tasting nothing but tomatoes and cheese. It was... underwhelming. Michelangelo watched with bated breath at my reaction, until I nodded and gave him a thumbs up, trying to hide my disappointment.

"You didn't give her one of the jellybean ones, did you?" Leo said, raising his eye ridges.

Michelangelo stuck his tongue out at him. "What do you take me for? I ate all of the jellybean up last night."

Leo rolled his eyes. "You'll have to try it hot next time," he said to me. "And you can pick the toppings."

"Can we put chocolate on it?" I turned and asked Michelangelo excitedly, and he beamed. Leo groaned.

"We're gonna be best friends," Michelangelo told me seriously. I giggled. I liked this Michelangelo a lot.

"Raph? Have you seen my brake bleeder?" We all turned to watch Donny walk in, goggles and mask pushed up on his forehead and rubbing his eyes. "I can't find it anywhere."

Raph grunted, splattering milk on the table. "Why would I have seen it?"

"Gee, I don't know," Donny said sarcastically, slapping his thighs with his hands. "Maybe because you're the only other one with a bike?" His gaze fell on me, and he smiled. "Oh, hey, Bliss. If you want any coffee you can have some out of my stash." He leaned over Leo's shoulder and snagged a slice of pizza, taking a bite.

Michelangelo made a noise of interest. "Can I have some of your coffee?"

"No," Leo and Donny said in unison, and Mikey made a face. Raph snorted.

"I'll share with you, Michelangelo," I said, giggling a little at the look of alarm on everyone's face.

"See? Bliss cares about me," Michelangelo said, putting a hand over his heart. "She's the only one. And dudette, call me Mikey. Only Splinter calls me Michelangelo, and it's lame." Splinter raised an eyebrow, and Michelang - Mikey - hastily ducked his head.

Leo cleared his throat. "I hate to break up this little party," he said, "but I think it's time for training."

Mikey and Donny groaned. Donny started to babble an excuse to go back to the lab and skip, and Leo rolled his eyes.

"I assure you, Don, the Battle Shell will still be there when we get done," he said with a touch of weariness. He stood up from the table, and Mikey and Raph followed. I hesitated, not quite sure if I needed to leave or not.

"Oh," Leo said, turning around when the four of them were crowded in the doorway. "Um, Bliss... you can-"

"Leonardo, I would like you to lead training today," Master Splinter said, holding up a hand to interrupt. "I would like to talk to Bliss during this time."

Leo nodded, gave me a smile, and headed out. The others followed, Mikey waving over his shoulder before he disappeared.

"So," I said, turning and looking at Master Splinter sitting across from me. I played with the tips of my bandana tails, feeling a little out of place.

"I have to say, Bliss, you are settling in incredibly well," he said.

I couldn't help it — I snorted. "Really?" I said. "I've only barely talked to everybody, turns out I hate pizza, and Raph still won't even look at me." He just looked at me for a moment, and I could feel my shoulders deflate. "I'm sorry," I said, feeling really guilty that I just yelled at him when he was trying to help. "It's just been a really weird couple of days."

"I understand that there will be a learning curve for all of us," he said, sounding a lot more understanding and less frustrated than I thought he'd be. "But please, do not be so hard on Raphael. He especially will need time to process this. The way you view him intimidates him."

"It does?" I asked, wrinkling up my beak. "But why? I know he's not the same Raphael. None of you are the same."

"I believe he is afraid he will not live up to your viewpoint of him," Splinter said. I saw his tail flick out of the corner of my eye. "You have known him for your entire life, but he does not know you at all."

I nodded, accepting the answer but not liking it at all. "Donny didn't seem to have the same acceptance problem," I mumbled, "even though he is, you know, my father and all."

He chuckled. "Donatello is very different than Raphael. He has also had a little more time to think about the situation and how he needs to treat you than Raphael has."

"I guess you're right," I said, twirling the pizza box around on the table.

"I'm afraid this is not what I wanted to discuss with you," he said, with what looked to be a sheepish smile on his face. "I wanted to talk to you for more... selfish reasons."

I blinked and raised an eye ridge. What was that supposed to mean? "Okay..." I said, trying to hide the sudden tinge of panic that bubbled up.

Splinter watched me, eyes soft. "You remind me so much of Donatello. You share many of the same mannerisms."

I kinda smiled at that, a strange mix of nerves and embarrassment. My mind raced; it kinda made me uncomfortable. What the shell was I supposed to say to that?

Master Splinter twitched his ears and decided to continue before I could say something. "Yesterday, you said that Raphael was the one that raised you." I nodded, feeling a sharp pang in my chest. "I would like for you to tell me a little more about that."

I blinked, a little confused, and then it hit me, like a lightbulb went off over my head. "Ohhh," I said. "You wanna know if Uncle Raph was a good dad or not." Now that I snorted at.

Master Splinter's ears twitched again. "Selfish, it may be. However, I am interested in-"

I cut him off. "Of course I'll tell you," I said, all my nervousness and panic gone. "But you won't tell Raph about this, right? I don't wanna freak him out more than he already is."

"What happens in the kitchen stays in the kitchen," Master Splinter said solemnly, eyes twinkling, and I giggled again.

"Okay. Good." I drummed my fingers on the table, trying to think back. "Well, I really don't know why my father chose to give me to Raph. And I don't think Raph really knew why, either. Uncle Raph always had a big temper, which might have rubbed off on me a little bit," and now it was my turn to grin sheepishly, "and when I was young, I especially don't think he knew how to take care of a kid, especially a girl. Some days he would come home really drunk and just pass out on the kitchen floor. He let me try his beer for the first time at thirteen. He wouldn't let me go topside until I was fifteen, and tried to ground me for life when I almost snuck out. But it wasn't all bad. He trained me, and played with me when I was a kid, and he told me all about you guys. Like I said, I wasn't allowed to leave the apartment, so sometimes it was kinda cramped, but we practically had the whole floor to ourselves and he really tried to make things as best as he could." I could feel my eyes well up with tears from the memories flooding my mind, even though I didn't want them to. "For my fifteenth birthday, he somehow figured out a way to get me chocolate. I don't know what he had to do to get it, because the only way you could find it was on the black market." I sniffled again, the grief over missing him coming back strongly. "He tried really hard."

"He would sneak me textbooks and instruction manuals to read, pieces for my computer and the TV to help me fix them up. He tried to teach me math and history and stuff as a kid, but quickly learned that it would be better for both of us if I had real books to do that. But he still loved teaching me how to fight, but he hated it when I called him 'Sensei.' He would remind me every morning to straighten my mask, because apparently it was super important that even though I never met anyone else it needed to be straight. When I had bad dreams about The Shredder finding us as a kid, he would let me stay with him at night. One time, when I was little, I stayed at the window with a packed bag, waiting for my father to come pick me up again because I'd gotten mad that he wouldn't let me go outside. He got frustrated, but when I started crying when it became apparent that Donatello wasn't going to come back, he gave me a hug and sat with me all night. He would constantly quote you for pieces of advice and wisdom and stuff because he'd say, 'shell, Master Splinter really was right about all of that shit!' Before I went to bed as a kid, he used to tell me stories for hours about you guys and your adventures from when he was young. When we finally did meet the other turtles, he tried to protect me from Michelangelo and the brain guy from being creepy and gross around me. I was really never lonely, because I knew I always had him. He cared, even if he never really said it out loud."

I stopped, crying too hard to continue. Master Splinter rested a hand on mine, looking choked up as well. I tried to finish.

"He wasn't perfect. But he always said he tried to do what you did for him when he was little, and that he would never be able to live up to being as good of a parent as you were. He missed you a lot. He may not have been perfect, but he tried, and he was good."

Master Splinter blinked rapidly, some unspeakable emotion shining brightly in his eyes. "Thank you, Bliss, for sharing this with me. I know that Donatello's battle and finding out about his loss must have been incredibly hard for you."

I sniffed, wiping my cheeks with the back of my hand. "He wouldn't let me fight in the battle, but I was there. I watched it all happen." I said it quietly, and he squeezed the hand he was still holding.

From there we sat in silence at the kitchen table, just thinking. Master Splinter was lost in thought, eyes focused somewhere in the distance to my left. I watched him. It was really nice to be able to talk about Uncle Raph with someone else who would actually listen and kind of understand, even though I didn't expect that person to ever be Master Splinter. Shell, Master Splinter's technically my grandfather! Now he may think that Raph being a parent but weird, but _that_ was even weirder to think about!

I guess I made a face at all this, because Master Splinter's gaze refocused, and he looked at me again. He cleared his throat. "You said Raphael trained you?"

I perked up a bit at this. "With the Bo and his Sai. I don't have mine, though," I said, the excitement fading a little bit. "I didn't have it with me when Donny came, and there wasn't time to go grab it."

"I would also be very interested in seeing your skill," Master Splinter said. "It has been a long time since I have had a new student to teach. I would like for you to join the others in training tomorrow."

"Yes!" I grinned widely, all disappointment at leaving my stuff at home vanishing. "That would be awesome!" I hadn't trained in so long, and hadn't sparred in even longer. "I might be kinda rusty," I said, wrinkling my beak, "cuz it's been a while!"

Master Splinter smiled. "It will still be an honor to watch you fight. I am incredibly curious to see what all Raphael taught you. I will ask Donatello to let you borrow one of his Bo staffs tomorrow. Unless you prefer to spar with the Sai?"

I shook my head. "I liked using the Bo better. I just think Uncle Raph taught me because he liked being able to pass on what he knew, too. In theory, I also know how to drive a motorcycle, too."

That seemed to amuse Master Splinter, and he chucked. "That does not surprise me about your Raphael," he said. "My Raphael is the very same way."

He was going to continue, but there were signs of a tussle outside, and he stood up. I followed him to the door, curious, and stuck my head outside. There was a mad rush to the bathroom, Donny and Mikey racing and bickering, where Leo followed behind at a much slower rate, rolling his eyes. Mikey ducked into the bathroom first, cackling, and Donny banged on the door, frustrated. Raph was nowhere in sight.

"Training must be over," Splinter said. "The only time any of them ever want to take a shower." I snorted at that. _Boys._

"Bliss?" I turned my head to the left and looked at a very sweaty, awkwardly standing Raphael rubbing the back of his head. "Uh... can I talk to you for a min?"

I glanced down to look at Splinter, but he had already vanished. I looked back at Raph, who looked like he'd rather be anywhere but standing there.

"Sure," I said hesitantly, grabbing my elbow.

"I know I haven't been the most welcoming or nicest to you or whatever so far," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "but I just need some time with all -" he cut off, frustrated, and waved his hands around in the air to symbolize a mess.

"I know," I said, crossing my arms. Shell, my Raph was bad at apologies, but this one definitely took the cake. "But would it absolutely kill you to even look at me every once in a while? Geez, it's like I came in and killed someone." My tone was a little harsher than I wanted it to be, and I almost cringed at how poorly he would take it.

He surprised me and just snorted. "Yeah, yeah," he said, looking a little embarrassed. "I just need to clear my head. Sorry for being an ass."

Now that I did understand, and I dropped my arms to my sides. "Apology accepted. Are we good?"

He looked at me, finally meeting my gaze. I guess whatever he saw made him relax a little, because his shoulders slackened a little. "Yeah," he grunted. "We're good."

I beamed at him, and he kinda smiled back, walking past me and heading to the bathroom, yelling at Mikey to not use up all the hot water this time.

I fought the urge to squeal and jump up and down. Things weren't perfect between Raph and I, but it was a start, and I also got to spar the next day! I grinned so widely it felt like my face was going to split in two. Things couldn't get any better than this.

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 **Oh no, what do you think Bliss's dream really means? And yay, Raph is coming around!**

 **Be sure to leave a review! I have so many plans for this story I would love to know what you guys think!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Another update! Hope you guys enjoy. Please R &R!**

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Bliss POV -

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"Guys!" Mikey screeched, skidding into the lair. He kicked his skateboard up and caught it, running forward and nearly stumbling into the couch.

I almost jumped a mile from the couch where Donny and I were sitting. He was teaching me how to use his computer, and I'd been dying of boredom, because I didn't really have the heart to tell him I had one of my own back home. Granted, his was a lot nicer, but still. I did know what the internet was. It just seemed to make him happy.

Donny jumped too, and almost let the laptop slip from his lap. "What is it, Mikey?" he asked, doing his best to mask his impatience. He ran a hand over the keyboard, visibly glad for his quick reflexes.

"April just called. She and Casey are coming down for dinner tonight!" He bounced up and down, flipping over the back of the couch to perch on the arm next to Donny.

I perked up. April and Casey? I hadn't met this world's April yet, and I'd been dying to meet Casey since Uncle Raph told me about how they met.

"April and Casey visit all the time," Raph yelled out from where he was hitting at the punching bag. Leo didn't even bother to look up from where he was polishing his swords. "How's that news?"

"Yeah, but they've never met Bliss before," Mikey said as though it was obvious and his brothers were all morons. Which, he had a point. Donny had a thoughtful look on his face. "And you know what that means..."

Leo audibly groaned, setting his sword and rag aside. "No-"

"Pranks!" Mikey squealed gleefully. He pushed Donny aside to bat his eyes at me. "And you, my new accomplice, are going to help."

"I am?" I said, and his grin grew more devious.

"Oh yeah, Dudette. Just you wait." Donny leaned back and pushed Mikey off the couch, letting him land in a heap on the floor. "Ow..."

"I wonder how they'll react to you," Donny said thoughtfully, and Leo walked over sit in the armchair.

I guess a worried look flashed across my face, because Leo was quick in reassuring me. "Don't worry, they'll love you," he said, patting me on the arm. "You were friends with the April in your universe, right?"

"Yeah, but I never knew Casey." I turned and looked at Raph at the punching bag. He wasn't saying anything, but he was obviously listening in.

"Oh, Casey's nothing but a teddy bear," Mikey said, picking himself up off the ground and brushing off his arms. He glared at Donny, who delicately ignored him. "He's Raph's friend, though, so then again, if he doesn't like you, maybe he just has terrible taste in people."

Raph steadied the punching bag and glared at his brother. "You'll be fine, kid," he said to me, ripping off his boxing gloves. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about whatever stupid scheme Mike's about to put you up to."

I cast a hesitant look to Mikey, who put a hand over his heart and looked wounded. "None of my pranks are stupid," he said sullenly, and Donny rolled his eyes.

"Sure," he said skeptically. "And what exactly are you going to do, fool them into thinking Bliss is me?"

Mikey's eyes lit up. "I didn't even think about that!" he said, and his brothers groaned. "I was really just gonna trick them into thinking we'd had a sister this whole time, and they'd never noticed."

Raph barked a laugh at that one, and when Leo turned to look at him, shrugged. "What? That one may work."

"April's not dumb enough to believe Bliss is me," Donny said, wrinkling up his beak. Leo agreed with him, nodding. "I bet you ten bucks she doesn't fall for it."

"Fine," Mikey said, and they shook hands. "But you have to admit, she looks an awful lot like you," Mikey said teasingly, and soon I had all four brothers looking at me. I could feel my cheeks begin to flush.

"Okay, okay," I said, waving my hands, trying to stop being the focus of attention. "I'll play along." Me pretending to be Donny, how hard could that be? Uncle Raph used to say all the time how much I acted like him. What could go wrong? "What exactly do I have to do?"

"Guys? Hello? Anyone home?" April's voice rang out on the other side of the lair, and everybody froze.

"You didn't say she was going to be here so soon!" I hissed, and immediately Leo and Raph vanished.

"Over here, April!" Mikey called out, then he grabbed Donny, slapped a hand over his mouth, and started to pull him away. "Play along!" he whispered to me as he dragged an indignant Donny out of sight.

I froze. I had absolutely no clue what to do! I grabbed Donny's computer and set it on my lap, straightening my mask and taking a deep breath. April's footsteps grew closer and closer.

"Mikey?" April said, leaning around. "Oh, hey Donny. I thought I heard Mikey out here." She looked at me expectantly to respond, and Mikey's pleading gaze flitted across my vision.

I cleared my throat. "Uh, hi April," I said in a voice as deep as I could manage. I took this moment to examine her — she was a lot younger than my April, with laugh lines instead of frown lines, and a bright red shock of hair. I liked her immediately.

April's eyes narrowed, and her gaze flickered from my eyes and mask down to my plastron, and she crossed her arms. She threw the bag of food she was carrying at me and I spluttered, trying to catch it.

"RAPH! LEO!" She yelled, backing away cautiously. "There's an intruder in the lair!" She saw Leo's swords lying on the ground where he'd been polishing them and made a mad dash to grab it.

Oh shell. I felt around on my back for my Bo and cursed when it wasn't there. I really, _really_ needed to get Donny to give me one of his.

April grabbed it and headed back towards me, sword raised over his head. I tensed, ready to flee, when a blue and green blur flew towards her and grabbed a hand around her wrist.

"Leo," I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Leo!" April dropped the sword, eyes wide. I felt Mikey come up behind me and slap the back of my shell. Raph and Donny came out next, Donny wiping his mouth off frantically.

"Dudette," Mikey whispered to me, "you really need to work on your acting skills."

"April, meet Bliss," Leo said. I sheepishly grinned and held out the bag of groceries towards her. A couple of tomatoes had rolled out, and Donny gathered them up. "She's not an intruder; she's family."

A warm feeling spread throughout my chest, and I couldn't contain the giddy smile I know was on my face. Leo said I was family.

April's face turned bright red, and she put a hand on her cheek. "I am so sorry, Bliss. I didn't realize... It's very nice to meet you." She took the groceries back and shifted them to hold out a hand. I shook it, feeling an eerie sense of deja vu.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "Mikey's idea."

"Of course," April said, rolling her eyes and ignoring Mikey's indignant cry. She stared at me, fascinated. "I didn't know there was another female turtle," she said excitedly. "It'll be so nice to have another girl around!" She pulled me into a one-armed hug, and I squeaked.

"I'm not really from around here," I made out through wheezes, patting April's back awkwardly. Man, I didn't realized I'd missed my April until I was actually standing here hugging this one. The bag crinkled, and I tried not to crush the groceries beneath my plastron.

"She's from an alternate universe," Donny piped up from somewhere behind me, still holding the tomatoes. Leo took them without a word and deposited them back into the bag when April finally let me go. "Do you remember that whole incident with the time scepter we told you about? I met Bliss in my world."

She pulled back, eyes roaming over my face. "That's amazing! You'll have to tell me all about it! Are the boys in your world, too?"

I tried to repress a smile. "I'd say so. After all, Donny's my father," I said, and April's jaw dropped. She looked at me, then Donny, and back again.

"This is incredible!" she said, shaking her head in disbelief. She waved a finger. "You know, you almost had me fooled at first."

Mikey yelled out a sharp "a-ha!"

"Really?" Donny and I said, at the same time. We both looked at each other and made a face.

April laughed, delighted. "But It was your eyes that gave it away. But if you're Donny's daughter, then that means there are other female turtles out there!"

Donny made a face. "Now that we're not too sure about. Not yet, anyway."

"Yeah," Raph said, looking at me teasingly. "Bliss is definitely enough for now."

"Hey!" I exclaimed in mock protest, and he pulled me in and rubbed my head. I felt my heart warm again. My Raph used to do that all the time when I was growing up, and it was just this Raph showing that he was trying now. He'd said he was trying, and now I really believed him.

"How old are you?" April asked, and I pushed Raph off of me, breathless from laughing.

"I just turned sixteen," I said, eyeing Raph carefully for any movement. Leo was watching with a fond smile on his face, visibly pleased that Raph was no longer being so standoffish.

April shook her head. "This is amazing," she said, exchanging a look with Donny.

"She's gonna be like a little sister now," Mikey said, coming up and slinging an arm around my neck." He beamed at me. "Even if her acting sucks major shell."

"Have you told Casey yet?" April turned to Raph, who grunted and shook his head. "What are you waiting on?"

"I've only been here like three days," I protested, and Mikey's eyes lit up.

"Speaking of Casey, where is he?" Leo asked.

"He's still at the shop," April said. "I asked him to close up. He'll be here soon. I asked him to pick up some bread, too."

"We have time to prank Casey now!" Mikey beamed, and I groaned. Not another prank. "I knew my idea was better. Come on, Ape, you gotta get in on this!"

April laughed. "Are you going to try and make him believe Bliss is Donny? Because he may actually buy it."

"You still owe me ten dollars," Donny said to Mikey, who pulled a handful of crumpled ones from his belt and deposited them in his outstretched hand. He winked. "Don't spend it all in one place."

April looked confused, and Raph gave her a look that said _you don't even wanna know_.

"I've got an even better idea this time," Mikey said deviously. "This time we pretend like Bliss has been here as our sister the whole time. It'll throw him off so bad!" He cackled, and I gave him a side-eyed look. He was one to watch out for, that's for sure.

April looked amused. "I'm in," she said. Raph and Leo high-fived each other, exchanging smirks. Even Donny looked a little eager to mess with Casey.

As we killed time in the kitchen, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I'd never known Casey, not in my world, and Uncle Raph didn't talk about him much, except for when he got drunk. Too painful, I guess. I didn't really know what to expect, and when the infamous Casey Jones finally walked into the kitchen that night, I couldn't help but study him with curiosity.

Shiny blue hair, broad shoulders. He was attractive for a human, and he pressed a kiss to the top of April's head and set the garlic bread on the counter. But here were the hockey sticks? The mask? I wanted to see him in action!

Mikey jumped up to start dishing out food, and we watched Casey turn around to say hey and immediately stop, looking confused. He blinked rapidly a few times and scratched his head. His eyes landed on me, puzzled, and he counted to five on his fingers. He rubbed his eyes and blinked back at me. I smiled as sweetly as I could manage.

He groaned and rubbed the side of his head. "Those Purple Dragons must've hit me in the head harder than I thought," he mumbled, and April bit her palm to keep from laughing. Before Casey had arrived, Leo had arranged the table so it looked like there'd always been an extra chair for me there. He sat down next to me, still staring.

"Hey Casey," I said, trying to act casual. I saw April turn her face away, shoulders shaking from laughter. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he said suspiciously. He looked around the table, but nobody was looking at him, or acting like anything was out of the ordinary. "Uh, who are you?"

"Casey!" April admonished, shooting him a look from the other side of the table. She hastily covered her mouth with her hand.

"You don't know who I am?" I said, letting my shoulders slump and giving him the best puppy-dog-eyes I could manage.

"Dude!" Mikey piped up from the counter, shaking his head. "Not cool!"

"If you're trying to play a trick on us, it's not very funny," Leo said, beak barely twitching. Donny raised an eye ridge at Casey, patting my shoulder reassuringly as he sat on the left.

Casey's eyes grew wide, and he turned and looked at Raph pleadingly for help.

Raph shrugged. "Don't look at me, Case. I remember your sister's name."

"Sister!" Casey repeated, staring at me again, eyes slightly narrowed. "Uh, right. Sorry about that, er..."

"Bliss," I helpfully supplied, and he cleared his throat, looking embarrassed.

"Yeah. Sorry about that, Bliss." Mikey started passing around plates, and Casey shoved in a mouthful before anyone could call him out again. Conversation picked up, but I could still feel Casey's eyes on the side of my face. It was a little eerie, honestly. Sometimes a girl just wants to eat garlic bread without having anyone stare at her.

"So, Bliss," April said casually, after the conversation had died down a little. "I'm getting ready for another GNO. When are you free?"

Casey choked on his breadstick next to me. "Another?" He looked around the table, but nobody looked amused. "Come on, guys, you're playing a trick on me. Eh? This was Mikey's idea, wasn't it? Good one, Mike."

Crickets.

I cleared my throat. "I can't wait to have another girl's night, April," I said, smiling sweetly at her. "It's been so nice having a girl friend around here all this time."

Casey spluttered, and Mikey had to shove his face into his plate so nobody would see him laugh. Raph fought a smirk, but when Casey turned to look at him, wiped it away and raised an eye ridge.

"Master Splinter, come on!" Casey said, waving a fork towards where he sat at the head of the table. "You gotta admit, something isn't right here!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mikey's shoulders stiffen. All of us slowly turned to exchange a blank look. We forgot to let Splinter know the plan!

Splinter's ears twitched, and he politely wiped at his mouth with a napkin. "I am afraid I see nothing amiss," he said slowly, "besides this treatment of my daughter."

Mikey quickly turned his laughter into a cough.

Casey's face paled, and he looked so lost that Leo couldn't help it anymore. "Don't worry, Casey," he said. "You're right. Bliss hasn't always been here."

"Aw, Leo!" Mikey whined, and Casey stood straight up, sending his chair flying back.

"I knew it!" he said, pointing a finger accusingly at Raph. "I knew you didn't have a sister! You tried to trick me!" He turned his gaze to April next, who was still trying to cover up her amusement. "And so did you!"

Raph smirked at him. "Damn right I did," he crowed. "And it worked, too." Mikey cleared his throat, and Raph rolled his eyes. "Fine. It was Mike's idea."

"Sit back down, Casey," April said, waving her hand at him. "Introduce yourself to Bliss."

"Right," Casey said. He sat his chair back up and sat down, extending a hand for me to shake. "Bliss, right? Or is that a trick, too?"

I giggled. "No, that's my name. Nice to finally meet you, Casey. I've heard a lot about you."

"All good, I bet," he said, flashing me a big white smile, and I snorted.

"Eh," I shrugged, and he blinked, looking a little taken aback.

"What do you mean, 'eh?'" he said, glaring at Raph again.

"Don't look at me," Raph grunted, tearing off a bite of bread with his teeth. I made a face, and his expression turned dark.

"I don't come from this world," I said, moving on before the mention of my Uncle Raph started to make Raph antsy. "I come from a world where Shredder had taken over the world. And I'm not really their sister."

"Oh!" Casey said, eyes wide. "Wow, I didn't know there were other turtles out there."

I shrugged. "Just me. And my mom, I guess, but that doesn't really count here."

"What about your dad?" Casey asked, mouth full. "Is he out there still?"

I coughed and jerked a thumb at Donny. Donny smiled and waved at Casey, who took one look and choked.

"All right," he said, once Raph had come around behind him and slapped him hard enough on the back to help him cough it out. "Now I know you're still messing with me. Donny being the first to get a girl? Nah." He stood up and bowed his head at Master Splinter. "Thanks for your hospitality. I gotta go."

"Casey," April laughed, "this isn't a joke."

"I mean, he has a point..." Mikey muttered. "Donny first to get a girl? That _is_ weird."

Casey shook his head. "A daughter? No way. You guys are crazy. There's absolutely no way. You're like eighteen!"

"I did say I was from another world," I said, tilting my head to the side. Sheesh. Did he not listen?

"This is so weird," Casey said, shaking his head.

"Tell me about it," Raph grunted from across the table. He smirked at Casey, cocky grin on his face. "Apparently I'm the one who raised her."

That was it. Casey couldn't take it anymore. He'd never really been the fainting type, but he slumped back down into his chair, hand rubbing over his eyes. "Nope. Nope nope nope. No." I watched him, fascinated.

April rolled her eyes and tilted her glass in my direction. "Welcome to the family, Bliss."


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow! Another fast update. Like I said earlier, I have several ideas for this story, and I'm on a roll in writing them. I currently have... 4 or 5 more maybe? We shall see... :)**

 **Is anybody on Tumblr? I'd love to get involved in the TMNT fandom over there! Let me know your URL if you do.**

 **Enjoy!**

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Not long after dinner, April and Casey left, with Casey still shaking his head and April giving me another excited hug with the promise to make future plans. Splinter went off to meditate, or do whatever it is he does in his subway car, and Mikey sprawled out on the couch, playing his video games. Donny and Raph headed out to the junkyard, talking agreeably about modifications to Raph's bike, not even casting a backwards glance.

 _Well_ , I stood in the middle of the kitchen, rubbing my elbow awkwardly. _What am I supposed to do now?_ There was a huge stack of dishes from dinner on the sink, and I sighed, walking over and squirting half the bottle of soap on them.

Dishes are a great way to just let your mind wander, and it's always been one of my go to's when I needed to think. And I really needed some time to process. I liked this world; I liked having this family, seeing how all of Uncle Raph's stories and descriptions were true. It was so much more lively than my home, and I just wasn't quite sure where I fit in yet, or if I ever would. Granted, I'd been here for less than a week, and I'd slept half the time, but I still got the others creepily watching me when they thought I wasn't paying attention. Master Splinter said I could stay, but was that really what I wanted to do?

"Bliss?" Leo interrupted my thoughts, and I blinked, turning around to look at him. He leaned in the doorway, one eye ridge raised. "What are you doing?"

I looked from him, to my hands buried deep in the mound of bubbles, and back again. "Dishes?" I said, narrowing my eyes slightly. This Leo wasn't blind, was he?

"No, I know that," he said, a touch of exasperation in his voice. "But why? It's Mikey's turn."

"It is?" Leo pointed towards a little chore list on the fridge. Sure enough, Mikey's name was scrawled near 'clean the kitchen.' I squinted even more at the supposed chore list I didn't know what was even a thing. "Oh. I didn't know," I said, feeling a little guilty. "I was just looking for something to do."

Leo laughed. "I don't think Mikey's going to mind," he said. I listened to a cacophany of beeps, angry yells, and game music and silently agreed with him. "You want some help?"

"Sure," I said, jutting my chin towards the stack of dripping wet dishes on the counter. "You can dry."

Leo grabbed a towel and started drying. We worked in relative silence, besides the spray of water and the clinking of clean dishes. I let my mind wander again. Leonardo was probably the turtle here I liked the most so far. (Is that bad to say over my own father? Donny was different, I decided with satisfaction). But Leo seemed to genuinely try to be friendly, and so far he didn't really live up to Uncle Raph's cruel remarks.

"Did you do dishes at home?" he asked, looking at me a little uncomfortably. Oops. Guess I'd been staring. I hurriedly turned my gaze back to the soapy water.

"Depends," I said. "If I cooked, I didn't have to. But if Uncle Raph cooked, I had to clean, and he always made a huge mess just to annoy me."

Leo smiled at that. "Sounds like Raph," he said, and I shrugged noncommittally, not really wanting to get into it. I made a mental note to add my name to the chore list, not wanting to feel like a free-loader, and tried to zone out thinking about what I should do when I finished with the dishes.

"Do you have any books?" I blurted out.

He gave me a funny look. "Books?"

"To read," I clarified, and he gave me a look that said _oh really?_ "I haven't really found anything to do around here yet, and I don't wanna interrupt anyone."

"Oh," he said, frowning thoughtfully. "What type of books?" He sounded interested, and I could feel my cheeks heat a little.

"I like fiction," I said shyly. "I used to read all the time at home. It was practically the only thing we could do during the day, besides train. I guess it was kinda a way to escape from the world," I said, and then I frowned a little. Huh. Never really thought about it that way before, but it was definitely accurate. Nothing like a little escapism to brighten the nightmare world you come from.

"What genre?" Leo asked.

My cheeks flushed even more. "Period romances," I mumbled, lowering my gaze. I hurried and finished scrubbing the last of the dishes, passing them on to Leo.

He blinked and then laughed. "You may have to ask Donny and Raph when they get back. I don't think I have anything you'll like. But we can ask April to bring some for you if you want."

I perked up. "April's the one who let me borrow her books. She didn't have much time to read, trying to rebuild New York and all, so she gave them to me. And I read all the books in her apartment by the time I was eleven."

Leo smiled. "You definitely are Donny's daughter then," he said, and I smiled a little. He finished drying the last of the dishes and put them up. I leaned against the sink, watching.

"I think I'm going to go meditate now," he said, wiping off his hands. "You wanna join?"

I made a face. "I'm not really a huge fan of meditation," I said slowly, and he snorted.

"You know, that doesn't surprise me. Neither Donny or Raph likes it very much." He rolled his eyes. "Did Raph at least teach you how?"

I blinked, feeling a little affronted. "Of course," I said. "He just... preferred training. And boxing, of course."

Leo grinned. "I'm looking forward to training tomorrow. I can't wait to see what all you can do."

"Oh yeah?" I said, plastering a cocky grin on my face. "I can't wait to kick your shell."

He blinked, surprised, and then his expression slid into an equally mischievous smile. "Not if I kick yours first," he said.

I bowed my head forward slightly. "I look forward to it."

He mimicked me and then started heading for the door. "You sure you don't want to join me?" he said, turning back over his shoulder.

I glanced around the kitchen, but everything was clean. I sighed. "Sure," I said, following. He smiled, pleased, and led me to the opposite corner of the lair away from Mikey's noise.

"Wow! You guys have mats? We had to use blankets," I said, appreciative of the thick fabric against the ground as I knelt down in front of Leo. Man, I would've killed for an actual mat back at home. Your knees start to get sore after sitting on blankets for so long.

Leo stared, eye ridge raised. "Blankets?" he said, lip curling ever so slightly. He settled down himself and rested his hands on his knees.

I shrugged, a little self-conscious. "Where exactly were we supposed to get mats?"

Leo shook his head. "The more I hear about your world, the more I am glad I do not live it," he said.

I sighed, letting my shoulders slump. "It wasn't all bad," I said, but it was a weak defense, and we both knew it. He was nice enough not to call me on it.

He closed his eyes, and I squirmed on the mat, trying to get comfortable. "Oh," he said, cracking open one of his eyes. "There's actually been something I wanted to talk to you about."

Okay, great. Way to make a girl feel nervous. No good conversation ever starts that way. "Sure," I said hesitantly, feeling my stomach twist. Boy, that extra breadstick wasn't a good idea.

"You said that your Raphael and your... Leonardo didn't get along very well," he said, opening his other eye. "I want to know why. Our conversation the other day got cut short."

I wrinkled up my beak. "Are you sure you want to know?" I said. "It isn't very favorable."

Something flashed across his eyes, and then his expression went blank. "I want to know. I don't want to make the same mistake here." The rest of that sentence said, _in my world, where it really matters_ , but he didn't say it out loud, and I didn't mention it.

I sighed. "Well, I didn't know the other Leonardo for very long. Only a couple of days, and we only talked on our own once. Like I said, Uncle Raph tried to keep me hidden from the others. But from what I understand," I hesitated, really not sure I wanted to talk about this, "the fight started after that Donatello had left, and they went up against Shredder... Raph blamed him for leaving Master Splinter behind."

Leo's eyes widened. "No," he whispered, appalled. "I wouldn't do that."

"The other you said that it was what he wanted, so you guys could escape. Uncle Raph said that you could've saved him. But I don't know everything," I hastily continued, wanting to wipe the upset expression off of his face. "But I think it led to a big fight that you guys just never recovered from. And without Donny to help Mikey try and keep the peace..." I trailed off, letting him jump to his own conclusions.

He was silent for a long moment. "I see," he said finally, voice devoid of any emotion.

"When Donny came, he called everyone back together. And you guys talked it out." I held up my hands, shrugging a little. "I don't think everything was fixed, but it was a start. And I also know Uncle Raph missed you. Er, the other you. He used to say your name in his sleep. But when you guys died," I choked up, the horrible images flashing across my vision, "Uncle Raph died crawling towards you."

Some of the tension eased out of his shoulders, and he didn't look so tormented anymore. "Oh," he said softly.

I shook my head. "I don't want to talk about it anymore," I whispered, and he shook his head.

"You don't need to. Thank you, Bliss. I know that was hard for you." I tried to give him a watery smile, and he reached forward and patted me on the leg. "Try to meditate; it will help you clear your mind." He sat back, closed his eyes, and instantly his forehead smoothed out.

I exhaled deeply and closed my mind. I wanted so badly to clear my mind and meditate, but the images of my uncles kept flashing across my vision. Especially Uncle Leonardo, and I hadn't really thought about him in a long time. _I wouldn't have to be trying so hard if he hadn't brought it up_ , I thought bitterly to myself.

I clenched my eyes more tightly shut, brow furrowing, and tried to remember the one and only time I talked to my Leonardo alone.

* * *

Bliss POV - Flashback

* * *

The cafeteria was a nightmare.

I clutched my tray tightly to my plastron, and looked around for an open table to sit. There were just so many people, humans mostly, and considering I'd lived for fifteen years only knowing one man, it intimidated the shell off of me. April had introduced me around, but I couldn't remember anybody's name, and everyone seemed to be happy and talking with their friends. Usually, Uncle Raph came to eat with me, or I just took my meals in the lab working on the suit with Donny, but I'd really needed a break, and Uncle Raph was out on patrol as a favor to April, so I was here alone.

I scanned the crowd again, desperate for just one friendly face, and saw the familiar rounded shape of a turtle shell sitting with his back to me on the other side of the room. Black coat on, no bandana tails — must be Leonardo.

I wrinkled up my beak. Friendly face, my shell. There was nobody else at his table, but there were two empty seats. Would he kick me out if I sat down? I hadn't talked to him at all yet, but he and Uncle Raph had talked the other night, so maybe he wouldn't be too irritated? All I had to go on were Uncle Raph's descriptions, and none of them were pretty.

I slowly started to make my way over there, dodging people and trying to encourage myself. _Okay, Bliss, you can do this. Just sit down and talk. To your uncle. Who you've never spoken to before. No big deal, right?_ I sighed and came up behind him, bouncing on my heels and trying to work up the courage to talk to him.

"You can sit down, Bliss. Nobody's sitting there," he said, sounding almost... amused?

Embarrassed at being caught, I trudged around to the other side of the table and sat down across from him. "How'd you know it was me?"

I took this moment to examine him. His black glasses glinted, and I wished I could see his eyes underneath, to see if they were as cold as Uncle Raph said. Dark, thick scars lined his face, disappearing into his coat. His plate was only half empty, so it looked like he hadn't been here for very long.

"Easy," he said, setting down his fork. "I could sense your Chi. It's very much like your father's."

"Whoa, really?" I widened my eyes, staring at him with a newfound respect. Uncle Raph never said anything about him having magical powers!

"No," he said, beak twitching. "I could, however, hear you mumbling encouragements to yourself to ask me if this seat was open."

Now THAT was embarrassing, and I felt my cheeks flush instantly. At least he seemed to be in a pretty good mood right now; maybe Uncle Raph really had warmed him up.

"Oh," I said, in a voice so small I could barely hear it over the ruckus of the cafeteria. I didn't say anything else, and so we sat in awkward silence, with me still silently wishing for the ground to open and swallow me up.

"So," he said finally, and I looked up, eager for some conversation. "Your name is Bliss." I stared at him, not sure if I heard right.

That wasn't even a question! He was just stating fact, and I gave him a look of disbelief. This is what he wanted to say?

"So I'm told," I said, shoveling food into my mouth so I could leave in a hurry. This was already a nightmare. Shell, maybe even Uncle Michelangelo was around. He may hit on me, but at least it wouldn't be as awkward as this!

"How old are you?"

"Fifteen."

"But that means..." I could practically see the gears turning in his head, and I cringed. The last thing I needed was for him to call me out on the fact that Donny had been back since he first disappeared, and that he had just decided not to visit him.

"Why did Donny give you to Raph to raise?" he asked bluntly. Whoa, he didn't hold back with that one. No more faux polite conversation? Oh, Bliss, you're the niece I didn't know I had. Tell me all about yourself. How's your day been today? Not wearing yourself out too much working on Donny's weird robot-thing, are you?

"I don't know," I squeaked, voice cracking embarrassingly.

He didn't seem happy with that answer, and instead he scooped another mouthful of gruel into his mouth. I was totally lying, of course I knew why Donny chose Raph. Uncle Raph used to tell me the story of my father dropping me off at bedtime when I was a kid. But whatever. I'm not gonna lie, this was not how I saw my first conversation with one of my estranged uncles going. And it frustrated me, just a little bit, and I decided to let it show.

"If you're allowed to ask me nosy questions, can I ask you one of mine?" I snapped, and then immediately regretted it. He stilled, face staring blankly in my direction. _Man, you're great at this, Bliss! This conversation's going great so far!_ I thought sarcastically to myself.

He set down his fork again. "I can't tell who you remind me of more right now," he said finally, "Raph or Don."

"Well, is that a good thing or a bad thing?" I replied, curious.

He appeared to consider it for a moment. "I can't decide," he said. And oh, that's just an easy cop out answer. He definitely had an answer in mind and surprise, it wasn't going to be pleasant. I sighed and rested my chin in my hands. So much for family bonding. "You never asked your question."

I hesitated, mind whirling. Did I really want to ask my question? Would it just push him too far? I mentally hit myself for even bringing it up in the first place. I pushed some food around on my plate, thinking.

He seemed to notice my hesitation. "You already brought it up," he reminded me.

"Not sure you can handle it," I said, half teasing, half serious.

"Fine. Can I call you Uncle Leonardo?" Okay, I fibbed, that definitely wasn't my question. I took a sip of water, making sure my mouth was occupied before I said something else stupid.

He sat for a moment. "That wasn't your question," he said. "But nice try."

"I don't think I want to ask it anymore," I said, fiddling with my bandana tails.

"I assure you I have heard worse," he replied, raising an eye ridge.

"Okay," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "Don't say I didn't warn you." I hesitated again, but he seemed to be waiting rather patiently. Guess there was no getting out of this one. "How did you become blind?"

The corners of his beak sort of turned down. He'd been almost smiling before, and I instantly felt a knot of guilt worm itself deep into my stomach.

"The Foot gang sprayed me with some sort of acid in the eyes, and it disoriented me for long enough to allow the Shredder to finish off the job." There was no emotion in his voice, and suddenly it felt like there was no air left in the cafeteria, and I scrambled to take in a deep breath.

"I'm really sorry," I tried, really wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole. "That was rude, and I shouldn't have asked."

He shook his head. "I encouraged you to ask me," he reminded me. "It's nothing the rest of our family didn't already know."

Our family. Yeesh.

"I have to go," I said, standing up. I hadn't even finished half my food, but Leonardo didn't need to know that. "It was fun... talking to you, I guess." Yeah, fun in how getting stabbed fifty times in the shell is pleasant. I'm sure Uncle Raph would find this all hilarious when I told him.

"Bliss," Leonardo said, holding up a hand to stop me. I set my tray back down on the table. "I don't think you should fight with us."

"What?!" I said, forgetting all about my embarrassment. "Of course I'm going to fight. You guys need all the help you can get."

He shook his head, way more successful than me at keeping his voice even. "It's not a good idea," he said. "You haven't seen what the Shredder can do-"

"I'm going to fight," I said, interrupting his sentence. "I'm helping, Uncle Leonardo, and I'm sorry if you don't like that. End of story." I picked up my tray and turned on my heel. Yeah, that was kind of abrupt, but if I stuck around any longer I'd keep saying dumb stuff. Besides, it wasn't his business at all.

"It's a good thing," he said under his breath, so softly I almost didn't hear it.

 _What the hell is he talking about?_ I thought to myself, frowning. "What?"

"You remind me of Donny and Raph," he said. It took me a moment to remember the earlier part of our conversation. "It's a good thing." I took a deep, shaky breath and starting walking.

When I glanced back, he looked more sad than anything. I didn't look back again.

That was the only time I talked to him.

* * *

 **Be sure to R &R! **


	5. Chapter 5

My alarm went off at five o'clock sharp, and I instantly snapped my eyes open, wide awake.

But Bliss, I can practically hear you saying, what normal turtle gets up at five and is excited?

"It's training dayyyy!" I sang out, skidding in to the kitchen. Mikey groaned, clunking his head down on the kitchen table. Leo smiled at me, and Donny sipped at his coffee, still looking dead.

"Everyday is training day," Raph grunted, spooning a mouthful of cereal into his mouth.

"Yeah, but today is _my_ first training day," I said, tipping into my seat. Donny pushed his coffee mug towards me and I took a swig. Ugh. Too much sugar. I pushed it back towards him, wrinkling up my beak.

"That reminds me," he said, stifling a yawn. "I have an extra Bo in the lab you can use. Unless you do wanna use the Sai, which you'll have to take it up with Raph."

Raph looked over, suddenly a lot more interested in the conversation. "You use the Sai?" he asked, looking pleased.

I shrugged. "I can use both. I'm probably better with the Sai than the Bo, but I prefer the Bo. It's more defensive."

Mikey lifted his head off the table. "What about my 'chucks?"

"I've absolutely never even touched a pair of nunchucks before," I said, wrinkling my beak. "Or the katanas. Er, Uncle Raph started me out with the Bo, but soon it got the the point where I surpassed him, so he switched to the Sai where he'd mastered them."

Leo nodded, looking fascinated. "Are you sure you don't want the Sai then?"

"No thanks," I said. "Once I hooked up my laptop, Raph and I found a bunch of tutorial videos. I tried to teach myself some stuff." There was a pause, where the others just sorta looked at me for a second. "Like I've said before, there really wasn't much to do over there during the daytime."

"Your funeral," Mikey said, shrugging. "Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you, just because you're new. The Battle Nexus Champ doesn't go easy on anybody!"

I snorted. "Wouldn't dream of it. And I don't even know what that is."

Mikey's jaw dropped, and Donny laughed. "You don't know what the Battle Nexus is?" His face crumpled, and he pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, swooning. "Oh, Uncle Raphael, how you've failed her!"

"Shuddup," Raph said, smacking Mikey's arm away. He pointedly avoided my gaze and dumped out his cereal in the sink. He walked out without a backwards glance, leaving the rest of us sitting quietly at the kitchen table.

"... was it something I said?" Mikey asked, turning to me with an innocent, wide-eyed look on his face.

I cleared my throat and pushed my chair away from the table, forcing a smile and saying I'd meet the others in the dojo. I left the kitchen and headed for Donny's lab, not seeing Raph anywhere in sight. I sighed, pushing open the door. Scanning the room, I saw two staffs leaning inconspicuously against the wall and walked over to them, picking one up.

I ran my hand down the length and hefted it. It was perfectly balanced - just the way I knew so that it felt like an extension of my arm. Man, it had been so long since I'd actually held one, Uncle Raph would probably kill me if he saw how rusty I'm gonna be. I grinned when I saw the padding. I don't know how, but Donny had switched out the fabric so that it was a lighter purple, matching my mask rather than his. Touched, I pressed the Bo against my plastron and turned around.

"Oh!" Startled, I stumbled back, not really expecting to see anyone. Donny was leaning against the doorframe.

"Sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "Didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to make sure you found them."

Feeling my heart beat rapidly, I grinned, forcing myself to let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. "I did! Thanks."

He jutted his chin towards the other staff against the wall. "That one's a naginta. I wasn't sure if you wanted that or a traditional Bo."

"A naginta?"

"Squeeze the center." I did as he said, and a sharp knife popped out off the top of the stuff. "Whoa!"

He laughed.

"This is awesome, Donny! Thanks." I grinned at him, clutching both to my plastron.

"I'm not gonna lie," he said, looking a little sheepish, "I'm excited to see just how much you know, too."

A strange thrill shot up my spine. "Sounds like the pressure's on," I said, suddenly more nervous than ever before. "Everyone wants to see it. What if I don't compare?"

Donny frowned a bit and patted my arm. "Oh, come on, Bliss. If Raphael was training you, you're gonna be great."

That made me feel a little better, but I still cradled the staffs tightly to my chest.

"Come on, they're probably waiting on us," Donny says, turning and beckoning me to follow. I set down the naginta and trot after him, feeling my nerves grow with every step I take closer to the dojo.

We're the last two to enter, the others already kneeling in front of Splinter, and I hastily trip over my own to feet to get down next to Mikey. He snickers.

I didn't even really hear Splinter call out the warm up exercises, just blindly followed them. If I wasn't exactly sure what I was doing, I took a quick glance at Leo a few steps down from me and caught up quickly. When those were done, I barely heard Splinter give instructions, my body moving of my own accord.

I only really snapped back to awareness when I was facing Leo, weapons raised. And all at once, my stomach dropped, and I knew this was going to end poorly for me.

Splinter barked out an order to start, and I froze. Leo, seeming to notice my hesitation, headed towards me with swords raised. Sheer survival instinct kept me moving, and I whirled away at the last moment, his sword nicking a spot into my Bo.

I lunged at him this time, trying to knock him off balance, but he seemed to anticipate my movement, and he was way heavier than I'd expected. Seriously, who would've expected Leo to feel like a brick wall?

I stumbled off, and in my wobbly state he got the upper hand. I could barely keep my Bo up to defend myself, and in a flash I was on my shell, sword pointed at my throat. The fight had lasted maybe two minutes at most, and I could feel my cheeks flush with embarrassment. If only Uncle Raph could see me now.

Leo seemed to notice the look on my face, because he sheathed his katana and held out a hand. I took it, and he yanked me up. He patted me on the back.

"That was good," he said to me, and I snorted, giving him a look of disbelief. "I'm serious! You've got some catching up to do, but you definitely have a good start."

Oof. I guess that was better than nothing.

He bowed to me, and I followed. Donny stepped out onto the mat next, and I looked at him with wide eyes.

"You sure you're up for this?" he asked, twirling his Bo and settling in to a defensive position.

"I'm really rusty," I said quietly, mimicking his position. "I didn't realize just how much until I got my shell kicked."

Donny shrugged. "It's Leo," he said. "Don't beat yourself up. You can fight Mikey next."

"Is this really your everyday training?"

"No. I think Splinter just wants to see how much you know so he can figure out new training plans."

In the middle of his explanation, I charged for him, smacking the sides of his legs with my Bo hard enough that it knocked his feet out from underneath him.

I laughed at the look of surprise on his face, which turned into a determined grin.

"Cheap shot," he said, flipping back up to his feet. I shrugged, grinning easily back at him. He lashed out at me, and I blocked it easily. Not as fun fighting someone with the same defensive weapon as you, if I'm being honest.

In one quick moment, Donny was back in front of me, knocking my hands and twisting my Bo out so it went scattering across the floor.

I looked at it, then back at Donny who was still grinning in front of me. I swallowed.

"Nice job, Bliss," Donny said, sheathing his Bo. He went and fetched my staff and brought it back to me, and I ran a hand comfortingly over it. "Once you get a handle on the Bo, you'll definitely be able to knock me off my shell. Next time, we'll have to try the Sai."

Mikey beat me, too. With ease. So much bounding energy I could barely turn around before he was already popping up, smacking me on the head with his nunchucks.

He cackled when I sat up, sprawled out on the mats and rubbing my head gently. "Nobody beats the Battle Nexus Champ!" he crowed.

"I still don't even know what that means!" I yelled out, a little pissy that I kept losing. Mikey answered with another cackle, and Raph took his place in front of me, arms crossed.

I groaned. "Not you too."

Raph gave me a fake smile. "Gee, what a way to make a guy feel special," he said, sarcasm laid thick.

I sighed, pushing myself up off the ground. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean - "

Raph shook his head and held out a Sai, motioning for me to stop talking. "Relax, kid," he said, showing a lot more grace than my Raphael would have. "No harm, no foul."

I sort of smiled and picked my Bo back up. "Let's just get this over with," I said grimly.

Raph shrugged. "If you say so."

And with a flash, we got started.

Raph was the one to strike first this time, an easy block I could do in my sleep. He was taking it easy on me, I could tell, and I was simultaneously grateful and annoyed. My annoyance won out, and I slammed back with all my force. His eyes narrowed, and when he knocked back at me, I could tell he wasn't pulling his punches anymore.

Which might have been a mistake, because I was totally going to bruise. Black and blue, here I come!

On the other hand, I had a little more confidence in this fight than I had with the others. I'd been fighting Raph (er, well, MY Raphael) for fifteen years. I knew him - his fighting style, his weak points. I didn't have this for the others, and I was about to use it to my advantage.

Too much brute force, not enough strategy. Too focused on what's right in front of his Sai that he doesn't focus behind him. The legs. Sometimes the left. It was all knowledge I'd had engrained in my head since I was a tot.

I felt a smile break out across my face, and the look on his face darkened. Probably thought I was laughing at him, which, I guess I kinda was.

I smacked my Bo in front of him, and he caught his Sai on it, trying to twist it out of my hands. It was a move he'd made all the time at home. Using his force, I flipped over him and kicked the back of his shell, sending him sprawling. His Sai tumbled across the floor, and I grabbed it and held it at his neck before he had the chance to turn around.

I looked up, beaming. The rest of the family stared at me, eyes wide. Mikey's jaw was dropped, and Donny was laughing. Even Leo looked surprised, eyes bright with some unnamed emotion.

I stepped back off of Raph, who pushed himself up with a face that looked like a thunder. I held out a hand to help him up, but he knocked it aside and pushed himself up.

"Lucky blow," he said, looking pissed but also a little impressed. His hands flexed like he didn't know whether to give me a high-three or if he wanted to punch me. Probably a mix of both.

"That was awesome!" Mikey said, bouncing on his heels a bit. "Raphie, you got beat by a girl!"

Raph growled, deep and low under his breath, and Mikey ducked behind Leo.

"Bliss, I am very impressed by your skills thus far," Splinter said, stepping forward a bit.

"Thank you, Master Splinter," I said, still fighting to keep the grin off my face.

"You have much yet to learn," he said, eyes fixed on my face. "But your Raphael has taught you well."

Good to know that today wasn't a total bust after all.

I glanced to my side. Leo had picked up the weapons and had handed Raph his Sai back. Raph snatched them out of his hands, obviously still bitter. Leo handed me back my Bo and I put it on my back.

"You are dismissed," Splinter said. "Except - Raphael. I want a word." Raph stiffened next to me, and as Mikey pushed me out the door, I watched the dojo doors close on him, shoulders slumped in front of Splinter.

"Who knew you had it in you?" Mikey was chattering in my ear, and even Leo looked to be suspiciously in a good mood over Raph's defeat.

It was a nice feeling, I'll admit. But at the same time, why did I have the feeling that I'd just taken two steps back?

* * *

 **Don't think I've forgotten about this story. For those of you which celebrate Thanksgiving, hope you had a good one. Please R &R! **


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